An Unlikely Romance
by RosesandThorns666
Summary: AU. Castiel Novak is too shy to tell his secretary how he feels about her, and his emotions all come across as negative. In short, the girl's scared of him, but then she has to go with him on a business trip and the relationship changes. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **AU. Castiel Novak is too shy to tell his secretary how he feels about her, and his emotions all come across as negative. In short, the girl's scared of him, but then she has to go with him on a business trip and the relationship changes. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Supernatural _or its characters. I only own Alicia Tyler.

**A/N: **Wooo, okay, this fic is _**inspired**_ by _The Proposal_, but its much less funny and less complicated. It's going to be a little angsty and Cas is a bit of a bastard, but he doesn't mean to be and you'll see why.

Hope you enjoy!

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**

* * *

An Unlikely Romance **

**Chapter One **

"Alicia?"

Alicia closed her eyes, swallowing thickly as she looked up at her boss.

"Yes, sir?"

"Call Chuck Shurley in for a meeting about his book; there are things we need to go over."

_The occasional 'please' wouldn't go amiss. _

"Yes, sir."

Alicia stood up, black pencil skirt revealing her lower legs to her boss, Castiel, who looked at the beautiful limbs before back at his computer screen. She was wearing her blue button-up shirt today, her small black heels and her gorgeous blonde curls over her shoulders. Her blue eyes met his for a moment, weakness shown in them as she went to leave the room.

"Alicia, I asked you to call Chuck Shurley." Castiel said.

_Damnit, Castiel, you can't leave her alone, can you? She was just going to get something and you're jumping down her throat. _

"Sir...I was just going to the bathroom..." Alicia said quietly.

"You're paid to do as I ask, not to...go to the bathroom." Castiel replied, "Now do as I ask."

But Alicia needed to go. She was in pain and it was _that time of the month_.

"Please, sir..."

Now the girl had tears in her eyes, and Castiel felt guilt rush through his system.

"Castiel..." Another voice piped up, Castiel looking over to see his brother standing the doorway, "Let her go, huh?"

Castiel saw the grateful look in Alicia's eyes and she looked to him, Castiel sighing and nodding before glaring at his brother.

"Gabriel!" He hissed.

"Dude, could you not tell that the girl was in pain?" Gabriel asked, "Seriously, where were you in Biology? Can't you tell it's her..."

He looked around him before whispering.

"Her _period_."

Castiel gasped and blushed for a moment, realising what a stupid, ignorant dick he'd been to the poor girl.

"Christ..." He muttered, rubbing his forehead, "How could _you _tell?"

"Not important. And by the way, dude, you're really hung up on her, huh?" Gabriel chuckled, sitting on Castiel's desk, "Oh, and seriously, this office is so dull! How is this poor girl putting up with this?"

"I'm not 'hung up' on her," Castiel said, "Whatever that means...and this office is fine the way it is..."

"Cas, the walls match your freakin' coat!" Gabriel huffed, "And you're obsessed with Alicia, wrapped up in your feelings to the point that you can't tell her how you feel, so you order her around like she's your slave instead!"

"Gabriel, she's paid to do as I tell her." Castiel said, "She took the job when I offered it to her."

"Cas, you'd think that saying please and thank you would be a common courtesy," Gabriel breathed, "But oh no, you're so scared of your feelings for this poor young woman, who's never done anything wrong to anybody, that you can't even use manners when you ask her to do something and she does what you ask, pretty well I might add."

"Okay, shut up!" Castiel yelled, "Just stop, alright!"

"You know I'm right." Gabriel said, getting up to leave, "If you're not careful I'll take her out of here and put her in my office where she'll get shown some respect."

Castiel flushed with shame and bowed his head.

"That girl gets treated like absolute crap by you, yet she still shows up every day and does everything you ask of her," Gabriel finished, "Yet you can't even show her that you're grateful for her work."

He turned to leave as Alicia returned, looking a lot more comfortable and less embarrassed. He thought he'd teach his stupid baby brother a lesson and he smiled at her.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yes, thanks, sir." Alicia replied with a soft smile.

"If you're not feeling so hot and you need to go home or anything," Gabriel began, "Just come and see me and you can go home, okay?"

"Gabriel, you can't just..." Castiel began, being cut off by his brother.

"No, I insist." Gabriel said, Alicia unsure of what to do.

"Oh, I'm sure that won't be necessary," Alicia replied, "But thank you all the same."

Gabriel nodded and patted her arm gently before heading out of the door. Sometimes Alicia wished that she worked for Gabriel rather than Castiel. Castiel never said please or thank you, but Gabriel was just so nice, so caring and so...considerate of her.

"Um...I'll call Chuck Shurley..." She said softly, sitting at her desk and dialling the number, Castiel watching her through the conversation.

Her full lips moved elegantly as she spoke, fingers wrapped around the receiver of the phone gently and her gorgeous eyes focussing on her papers beneath her. Her legs were crossed, right over left, right foot moving up and down as she spoke to Chuck. She had such a sweet manner and gentle voice too. He wanted to praise her and thank her for her work, to not have the poor girl dreading going into his office every day, scared to even ask him to repeat an instruction in case he bit her head off.

She was intimidated by him, and that made him feel terrible, realising what a horrible person he was. He was cold and harsh towards her, and Alicia, who was merely four years younger than him, was so into doing a good job and earning a promotion or at least some recognition for her hard work that she dealt with the harshness she was faced with every day.

The young woman finished her conversation and took a deep breath before speaking.

"He says that he needs to check his diary for a day this week, but he thinks the earliest is Wednesday."

"Right," Castiel said, finding himself snapped out of his trance, "I need each of these reports photocopying six times."

He handed Alicia a huge stack of papers, the young woman just looking so defeated when she saw the pile that Castiel felt guilty for giving it to her.

"Yes, sir." She said brokenly, turning and heading out to the photocopier.

She closed the door, walking away with her head hung like she didn't think she had any worth. Castiel slammed his fist on the desk, scrubbing it over his face and resting his forehead on it. He couldn't help treating her the way he did. He was just so afraid to express how he really felt, and he'd been the same with any woman he'd had feelings for since his first relationship with a girl named Meg Masters.

That was nine years ago, and now at the age of twenty-seven, he was still alone, barely able to get through a date with a woman. She was twenty-three and such a beautiful, special young woman who he hardly knew anything about, who he couldn't understand, but he _couldn't _treat her any better than he did. His walls came up and that was it; he was hiding behind that strong, authoritative mask being merely a tiny frightened boy, a vulnerable person who really couldn't understand how to communicate with the girl he had such deep feelings for it hurt him to look at her sometimes.

He was screwed up and he needed help, because clearly, he walked all over her and treated her like absolute crap. She didn't deserve it and he knew it, but he just didn't know how he could change it.

-TBC-

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**Hope you enjoyed! **

**Happy 2011! **

**Thanks for reading so far! **

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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **AU. Castiel Novak is too shy to tell his secretary how he feels about her, and his emotions all come across as negative. In short, the girl's scared of him, but then she has to go with him on a business trip and the relationship changes. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Supernatural _or its characters. I only own Alicia Tyler.

**

* * *

An Unlikely Romance **

**Chapter Two**

Castiel watched from the window as Alicia left the office building, the girl stopping in her tracks and answering her phone. She looked like she was wiping her eyes at one point and he saw her shoulders shaking. Was she crying? Was it his fault if she was? The knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to see Gabriel standing there with a smirk.

"Cas, you're spying on her now?" Gabriel asked, "Christ..."

"I wasn't spying, I was just...making sure she left the building safely..." Castiel replied, trying and failing to hide his insane blush.

"Whatever." Gabriel said, "Look, Chuck Shurley's going to a convention in San Francisco for two weeks, so I've decided to send you on a business trip so you can have your meeting with him and a little break."

"What?" Castiel asked, "Why wasn't I consul-"

"And Alicia's going with you."

Castiel's heart stopped and he stared at his brother.

"You're joking." He said, "Please, tell me you're joking."

"Nope." Gabriel said with a smirk, "Maybe if you both unwind a little...y'know...stuff might happen."

"Gabriel! We will have a purely professional relationship as always." Castiel said, not confident in himself.

"Well, I've booked your hotel room, and 'cause this convention's so big, they only had one room...with a double bed..." Gabriel confessed.

"Oh, come on!" Castiel cried, throwing his hands in the air with exasperation.

"I couldn't get anything else! I'm sorry, I've tried everywhere, they have nothing!" The older Novak brother said, "I swear, if you just...keep your hands to yourself then nothing can go wrong..."

There was something Gabriel wasn't telling him and he knew straight away, his blue eyes piercing into his brother's golden ones. Gabriel saw the glare and he sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Okay...don't hurt me or anything..." Gabriel began, backing towards the door, "But your reservation is under Mr Castiel Novak and...Mrs Alicia Novak..."

"IT'S UNDER WHAT?" Castiel yelled, Gabriel taking a dive behind the grey couch in the office.

"Cas...Cas, I didn't know what else to do, okay? I panicked!" Gabriel cried, ducking as Castiel threw a book at him, "YOU PROMISED NOT TO HURT ME!"

"YOU PROMISED TO STOP ANNOYING THE CRAP OUT OF ME IN SIXTH GRADE BUT YOU FAILED TO KEEP THAT!" Castiel screamed, jumping on top of Gabriel, the pair of them wrestling on the floor.

"Christ, get off me!" Gabriel huffed, "Cas, we're nearly thirty years old, get off of me!"

Castiel let Gabriel go, shaking with anger and fear at the thought of having to tell Alicia, let alone pretend that they were husband and wife. They were going to have to...hold hands...and maybe even share a kiss or something...holy crap, this was horrible. He didn't want to go, but the meeting couldn't wait. They had deadlines to meet for Chuck's novel, _Supernatural_, a series the writer was working on about two brothers who drove all over America, saving people and hunting supernatural creatures.

It was an interesting series and the writing was great, but there were a few things he needed to go over with Chuck before it was published, legalities and such. He'd need Alicia with him anyway to type up reports and such. This would be so uncomfortable. If there was a sofa, he'd sleep on there and let her take the bed. Sleeping in the same bed as her would surely make her uncomfortable, especially since he was always so cold and harsh with her.

* * *

"Alicia." Castiel began the next morning.

"Yes, sir?" Alicia replied, looking up from her laptop at her boss.

Castiel took a deep breath and gazed at his stunning secretary.

"I have to go to San Francisco for my meeting with Chuck Shurley," He began, "And I'll need you to come with me...but my brother has made the hotel reservation and we're sharing a room...with a double bed..."

Alicia's eyes widened and she swallowed thickly, the poor girl blushing and looking to her hands.

"And...he made the reservation under Mr Castiel Novak...and Mrs Alicia Novak."

Alicia's head snapped up and she looked at her boss, the young man sighing and rubbing his forehead.

"Our flight is in four hours, I need you to go home and pack two weeks worth of things."

"Two weeks?" Alicia asked, suddenly bowing her head, "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." Castiel said, "I wasn't even consulted until last night, and you'd gone home by then."

Alicia nodded and shut her computer down, grabbing a notepad and pen.

"What will I need, sir?" She asked.

"Castiel."

"Pardon?"

"Castiel...you'll have to call me Castiel..." Castiel said, "Or...Cas..."

"Um..."

"We're supposed to be husband and wife...we'll need to show some..." Castiel began, "Um...to behave like we're married..."

"I see..." Alicia replied, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment, "What will I need, Castiel?"

Oh _God_...the way his name rolled off of her tongue just sent shivers down his spine.

"Your laptop, notepad...two weeks worth of clothing, something formal, preferably a dress and your work cell phone." Castiel said, watching as Alicia noted it down and grabbed her things.

He knew what he had to say now so he took his chance.

"Alicia," He said, the young woman turning to look at him as she made her way to the door, "Thank you...for coming with me. It's a great help."

Alicia was shocked by the words and she smiled, actually smiled properly for the first time in Castiel's presence.

"It's a pleasure, Castiel." She replied, giving him the most beautiful smile Castiel had ever seen before leaving, "I'll be back in an hour."

* * *

Alicia found it odd seeing her boss in casual clothing, but she found him incredibly attractive like that. He wore smart black jeans and a blue button up shirt, a black jacket over the top. She assumed his trenchcoat would be in his bag for when they arrived. He always wore that coat. As for Castiel, he thought Alicia looked stunningly beautiful in blue jeans and a purple long-sleeved t-shirt and a black jacket. She smiled softly at hiim and they made their way through the airport.

"Okay, Gabriel's basically giving us both a vacation." Castiel explained, "Our meeting is with Mr Shurley on Friday, but tomorrow night we have a function to attend...which is why I told you to bring something formal..."

"I see." Alicia said, looking up at her boss, "Um...we have to make our marriage look convincing..."

"So that means what exactly?" Castiel asked.

"We have to learn things about each other and not look like a boss and his secretary pretending to be a husband and wife."

"Ah." Castiel said, "Um...can that wait until the flight?"

Alicia just nodded, and then checked her watch. They'd better go and check in.

"Castiel," Alicia began as the pair walked to the check-in desk, "Hold my hand."

"What?" Castiel asked.

"Hold my hand, we look odd..." She said, "We don't look like a young married couple..."

"Why do we have to?" Castiel asked.

"Because according to your brother our flight is booked under Mr and Mrs Novak too..."

Castiel swallowed thickly and reached down, taking Alicia's hand in his own. Alicia looked down, seeing him holding her hand like she was an escaped convict.

"Castiel..." She said softly, "Cas...just...let me..."

Castiel gazed at her for a moment before she slid their hands together and locked their fingers.

"Cas, you're hurting me..." She breathed, "Not as tightly...please?"

"My apologies..." Castiel said, loosening his hold a little both of them feeling very awkward before checking in.

The check-in clerk looked at the two of them, a little suspicious as to why the young couple were so nervous around each other.

"Have a nice trip..." She said, Alicia smiling in response.

"Oh we will, thank you." She said, the pair of them turning and leaving, their fingers still locked.

"Can we let go?" Castiel asked.

"No...wait until we get to the departure lounge." Alicia said.

They could let go, she just didn't want to, and in all honesty, Castiel didn't either. It transpired that yes, Alicia was scared of Castiel, but she was head-over-heels in love with him. She had been since the first time she laid eyes on him, and it hurt her so much that he treated her with so much disrespect, but out of the office, it seemed, he wasn't such a bad person after all. They reached the lounge and let go of each other's hands, sitting quietly for a little before Alicia tried to strike up a conversation.

"So...part of this two weeks is a vacation?" She asked, "And...we're spending it together...?"

"Gabriel has a strange sense of humour," Castiel replied, "He seems to think I treat you badly as an employee...maybe it's to build up a good working relationship or something..."

"You don't treat me badly, Castiel..." Alicia said, telling lies but not wanting to make him feel bad, "Not at all."

Castiel gave her a look that just told her he knew she was lying.

"I treat you horribly." He said, "I'm sorry."

Alicia looked away and blushed, biting her lip. Their flight was called and Castiel sighed, knowing he'd embarrassed his secretary again.

"Come on..." He said softly, getting up and heading for the gate with Alicia in tow.

He waited for a second so she could catch up, the pair of them making their way to the plane. Castiel didn't know that Alicia was scared of flying.

-TBC-


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: **AU. Castiel Novak is too shy to tell his secretary how he feels about her, and his emotions all come across as negative. In short, the girl's scared of him, but then she has to go with him on a business trip and the relationship changes. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Supernatural _or its characters. I only own Alicia Tyler.

**

* * *

An Unlikely Romance **

**Chapter Three**

Alicia sat in her seat, gazing out of the window and biting her lip.

"I...I'm scared of flying..." She admitted suddenly, Castiel snapping his head around to look at her.

"You're what, sorry?" He asked, not catching what she'd said.

"Scared of flying." Alicia replied, unable to look at her boss.

"That's alright." Castiel said, his tone so much softer than the tone he used at work, "You don't have to worry, Alicia."

After the flight attendant's instructions and the captain's announcement the plane began to move, a tear escaping Alicia's eyes which she wiped away quickly to avoid Castiel seeing it. But Castiel knew she was distressed, simply because she was trembling so much.

"Alicia?"

The young woman wouldn't look at him and that hurt Castiel a little. She was clearly upset and frightened, and he thought about what Gabriel used to do for him when he was a child and was frightened. He reached his arm around cautiously and wrapped it around Alicia who stiffened, then relaxed, leaning against Castiel who found himself resting his head against hers. His heart was pounding in his chest and he hoped Alicia couldn't feel it or hear it. There was a sniffle and then Castiel felt Alicia's arm resting on his chest.

"Thank you." She whispered, Castiel smiling softly at the words.

"That's alright."

Once the plane was up in the air, there was no problem, and Alicia really relaxed. She was still a little nervous about being in this enclosed environment with her boss with no escape route. He really wasn't a bad person, just a little bad with his people skills. They were now sat in comfortable silence, Castiel shocking her by striking up a conversation.

"So, do you live with your family?" He asked, Alicia chuckling and shaking her head.

"I live alone...um...my parents and little sister, Belle live in the outskirts of Sioux Falls." Alicia replied, "My apartment's about ten minutes away from work on foot. Do you live alone?"

"Yes." Castiel replied, "Practically. My brother Gabriel lives with me, but he's barely at home. Normally he's out drinking and finding girls to spend the night with."

"Oh." Alicia said sweetly, "Do you still live in that large house Gabriel told me about?"

"Yes." Castiel replied, Alicia nodding in response, "What do you do outside of work?"

Alicia smiled at her boss and bit her lip.

"I play the piano in a local bar." She said, "And I also do some voluntary work with children at the local hospital on a Sunday."

Castiel, in all honesty was impressed. The young woman was musically talented and she worked on a voluntary basis, with her amazing work for him on top. And she worked with ill children in the local hospital?

"What's that like?" Castiel asked, "Working with children?"

"Wonderful, but I was helping look after a toddler last week who...um..." Alicia began, "She died while I was holding her."

The twenty-seven year old grimaced at her, Alicia smiling weakly and looking down, blinking tears away before continuing.

"But that's what happens to a toddler with kidney failure." She sighed, "There are a lot of children who leave on the same day that they come in, but a lot have to stay a long time because they're really sick."

Castiel just found himself falling further for the young woman beside him, not knowing that she did such work away from his office.

"I think that the work you do is really..." Castiel began, trying to find the right word, "Amazing."

Alicia smiled and gazed into Castiel's eyes for a moment, suddenly feeling fear creeping up on her and looking away. Then the turbulance started, only slight but it frightened her enough to grab Castiel's hand.

"It's alright." He assured her, not realising how gentle he was being, "It's just a little turbulance, that's all."

Alicia smiled weakly and let Castiel's hand go, awkwardness taking over again before she turned to look out of the window.

* * *

On arrival at the hotel, Castiel took a deep breath before looking at Alicia, holding his hand out to her.

"Just until we get upstairs."

Alicia nodded and swallowed thickly, taking his hand and feeling him lock their fingers. They passed through the doors and Alicia pressed a little closer to Castiel, her boss not minding at all as they made their way to check in. There were little kisses to his cheek which he didn't mind and of course he kissed Alicia's hand to add to the act, and the two headed up to their room. Reaching their room, they opened the door and released each other's hands, setting their bags down and looking at the room. There was no couch. Damn...Gabriel...

"Alicia, I'll sleep on the floor," Castiel began, "I'm sure that's more appropriate."

"Castiel, please..." Alicia said, "I haven't got a disease or anything...we can share a bed, okay?"

"Alicia..."

"No. You aren't sleeping on a wooden floor!" The girl protested, "It's fine, we'll just have to keep to seperate sides...that's all."

Castiel nodded and swallowed thickly, putting his bag on one side of the bed while Alicia put hers on the other.

"I'll see...if I...if I can find out what time the dinner starts tomorrow night..." He said, leaving Alicia in the room by herself.

The girl unpacked her things, thinking about her boss the entire time. She wondered why things had suddenly become so awkward. So they had to share a bed; what was the issue? Yeah...they were boss and secretary, but they had to pretend to be husband and wife for God's sake! And its not like anything would happen anyway...although she wished it would.

As for Castiel, he knew when the dinner started tomorrow night, he just wanted to call Gabriel and show him how pissed off he was.

"Gabriel!"

_"Jesus...what's up your ass?" _Gabriel asked.

"That room you booked doesn't have a couch, Gabriel." Castiel hissed, Gabriel chuckling on the other end of the line, "And now I have to share a bed with my secretary."

_"Why not just sleep on the floor?" _Gabriel asked.

"The floor's wooden and Alicia protested...she didn't want me to sleep on a surface like that." Castiel replied, blushing at the thought of having to share a bed with her.

_"Y'know, despite how much of an asshole you are with her, I think she's got the hots for you." _Gabriel laughed, _"How did the flight and stuff go?" _

"We had to...hold hands and such through the airport," Castiel told him, "And it turned out she was scared of flying...so I...uh..."

_"What?" _Gabriel asked, _"What did you do?" _

"I put my arm around her."

_"Ahhh..." _Gabriel said in response, _"Good move. And holding hands?" _

"Yes." Castiel replied, "I hate you for doing this to me...and to her!"

_"Hey, I'm trying to help you deal with your feelings about her, okay? Gimme a break!" _Gabriel huffed, _"Honestly, I think she likes you too..." _

"You're full of crap." Castiel said, snapping his phone shut and heading for the room.

It was better to get the awkwardness out of the way so they could at least enjoy the two weeks they had to spend together. He knocked on the door, opening it slowly to find Alicia's belongings unpacked and her not in the room.

"Alicia?" He asked, turning as the bathroom door opened.

There Alicia was, standing wet and naked with her body only wrapped in a towel that reached her thighs and one towel in her hands as she dried her hair with it. To say Castiel was shocked was an understatement and Alicia was blushing insanely.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!" Castiel cried, turning around while Alicia grabbed her clothes from the bed.

"No, I'm sorry...I should've left a note or something." She replied, "I'll just...uh..."

She ran into the bathroom, Castiel covering his face with his hands when he heard the door close.

"Christ..." He breathed, swallowing thickly as he felt himself grow hard in his jeans, "Oh no..."

Alicia stood with her back pressed to the bathroom door, sobbing quietly through embarrassment. Her boss had just seen her almost naked..._naked_! This was a disaster. It was getting dark now, Alicia checking her watch to see it was nine-thirty in the evening. She'd get her pyjamas on and go to bed...

"Alicia?" Castiel asked, clearly having heard her sobs from the other room, "Are you alright?"

She quickly wiped her eyes, splashing some water on her face as she got dressed.

"I'm fine, thanks." She called back, "Just getting dressed..."

Castiel pressed his forehead to the door. He knew she'd been crying and he couldn't help but feel terrible for it, even though he hadn't meant to walk in her with just a towel wrapped around herself. He was still hard and he tried to hide it as she left the bathroom.

"I..." She began, blushing and biting her lip "Is it alright if I go to bed?"

"Alicia, you don't have to ask..." Castiel said softly, getting his own clothes and heading for the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Alicia climbed into bed on the side nearest the door and she lay facing it, sighing deeply and closing her eyes. Castiel rinsed out his mouthwash and sighed, rubbing a hand over his forehead.

"Please go down..." He whispered to his erection, "I'm getting in the same bed as the poor girl...please go away..."

Like talking to it would help!

He sighed and turned out the light, heading back into the room and leaving his unpacked case on the floor near the dresser. He'd unpack it in the morning. The night was beautiful outside, the moon shining brightly and stars glittering the sky as he climbed into bed beside Alicia, keeping to his side as they'd agreed. From her deep breathing and stillness, Castiel assumed she was asleep, but Alicia wasn't. She lay on her side quietly, a tear falling down her face as she felt Castiel turn away from her. She wanted to cuddle up to him, to lay in his arms and sleep safely in them, but he didn't feel that way about her.

"Goodnight, Alicia." She heard him whisper, waiting until she thought he was asleep before replying.

"Goodnight, Castiel."

-TBC-


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: **AU. Castiel Novak is too shy to tell his secretary how he feels about her, and his emotions all come across as negative. In short, the girl's scared of him, but then she has to go with him on a business trip and the relationship changes. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Supernatural _or its characters. I only own Alicia Tyler.

**A/N: **I'm so sorry for the late update! I've had serious writer's block with this!

Things start to heat up in this one! Hope you enjoy!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**

* * *

An Unlikely Romance **

**Chapter Four**

Alicia stood looking in the mirror, trying and struggling to fasten her dark blue dress which made her sigh. She buried her head in her hands and stamped in annoyance, trying again and looking up as Castiel entered the room in his suit and open collar shirt. The girl nearly fainted at how gorgeous he looked.

"Do...do you need some help with that?" Castiel asked, Alicia biting her lip and nodding in response.

"That would be great...thanks..."

The day hadn't been too bad since they'd barely been in each other's company but now they had to go to a dinner and pretend to be husband and wife. Castiel went to zip up the dress, rubbing his hands together to make sure they weren't cold before resting a hand on Alicia's shoulder, zipping up her dress and smiling in the mirror at her.

"You look beautiful." He said with a blush, Alicia smiling softly in response.

"Thank you. You look great." She replied, "Open collars suit you."

"Thank you." Castiel said softly, "So...we met in Miami when I was on a business trip and it transpired that you worked in the building across from mine back in Sioux Falls..."

"Yes," Alicia replied, "And we went on a few dates, fell in love and got married in Hawaii..."

"How did I propose to you?" Castiel asked.

"How romantic are you?" Alicia countered, Castiel having a thought.

"I took you out to dinner, took you to the park where we danced by a fountain and I proposed to you under a starlit sky with a bouquet of red roses and a silver ring with an amethyst in the center as it is your birth stone." He said, "Speaking of which...we don't have wedding rings..."

"Oh..." Alicia replied, "I have two gold rings in my jewelry bag...we could wear those..."

Castiel smiled.

"You're a diamond." He said softly, the pair looking at each other in the mirror for a moment before Alicia cleared her throat, going to her bag to find the rings.

"They were my parents' original wedding rings...so please be careful..." She said, Castiel nodding in response as he took the larger one.

The fitting was a little loose but not so loose the ring would just fall off of his finger. He smiled gratefully and looked to his secretary, holding his hand out to her and grabbing the key to the room.

"I'll take that." Alicia said softly, taking the key and putting her cell phone into her clutch bag before taking Castiel's hand.

The two left the room, Alicia locking it and putting the key in her bag before they headed towards the hall in which the dinner was being held. They walked in comfortable silence, entering the hall to see it full of people. Grabbing glasses of wine, the two stuck together, knowing they'd have to mingle not long after, especially when Chuck Shurley arrived and began introducing them to his friends.

* * *

"So, what does your wife do, Novak?" One of Chuck's friends, Zachariah asked.

"She's a secretary." Castiel replied, "She works in the building across from mine."

Alicia had just gone to the powder room, and Chuck had introduced him to Zachariah Milton, a stupidly rich businessman from Colorado who was going to be providing the advertising for Chuck's books.

"A secretary? That all?" He huffed, Castiel not realising that Alicia had returned from the bathroom, but Zachariah's wife Anna spotting her, "Not very good money, right? Bet you do all the bread-winning in your family, eh, Novak? Is she one of those girls who didn't do so well is school? Y'know...the high school bimbo type...?"

"Actually, Alicia is incredibly good at what she does." Castiel said, "She's an amazing person who puts so much effort into her work that it makes her ill and tired, and she hardly gets any recognition."

He registered the look in Anna's eyes and turned to see Alicia heading away, biting his lip and looking back to Anna.

"She's crying..." Anna told him, looking incredibly guilt-ridden and apologetic.

Castiel glared at Zachariah with total disgust before turning and following her, finding her on the balcony with her head in her hands. She was crying quietly and Castiel bit his lip, edging towards her slowly. She shouldn't be upset. It was wrong in his eyes. She shouldn't be crying like this. Just because she was a secretary, people thought she wasn't as intelligent as they were. But she was, as Castiel had called her, amazing. She was amazing in every way and Castiel would let as many people know that as he had to.

"Alicia?" He asked, the young woman stopping and wiping her eyes, thankful that she was wearing waterproof mascara, "Are you alright?"

"Did you mean it?" She asked, "When you said I was an amazing person?"

Castiel stopped in his tracks, not really knowing what to tell her.

"I...I did." Castiel replied, "With the most sincerity."

"I see..." Alicia said softly, Castiel moving to stand by her side.

"Alicia...?" Castiel began, "Don't cry..."

"Thank you for standing up for me." She sniffled, "It...it meant a lot."

"Of course I stood up for you," Castiel told her, "I'd never let anyone speak about you that way, Alicia...I care about you too much to let them talk about you like that..."

He realised he'd said too much then and he blushed, Alicia gazing at him with confusion.

"You...you care about me?" She asked, Castiel stuttering a little before answering.

"More than I should..."

The atmosphere was very uncomfortable and the pair didn't know what to do for a moment before Alicia realised that maybe this was the time to tell Castiel how she felt. He'd practically admitted that he had feelings for her. What if...what if they ended up in bed together that night? No! No...too far ahead with the thinking there, Alicia...

"I care about you too, Castiel." Alicia replied, "Way more than I should..."

The pair looked at each other, leaning a little closer. Castiel's heart thundered in his chest, his eyes moving from Alicia's eyes to her lips and back again. Their breath was ghosting over each other's lips, their eyes growing hooded and lustful before they dared to close the gap a little more. Alicia looked to her boss for reassurance that this was okay before finally leaning forward and connecting her lips with his. Warmth shot through They stood for a moment before breaking the kiss, just barely. Castiel cupped her cheek a little nervously and leaned back in to kiss her again. Their kiss deepened somewhat and when they broke it again, Alicia saw want and lust in Castiel's gorgeous blue eyes.

"Cas?"

"Alicia..."

The pair just looked at one another for a moment before Castiel gently took Alicia's hand.

"I know I haven't been good to you." He began, looking into her eyes.

He knew that he had to tell her the truth now. They'd just kissed for God's sake!

"But...it's because...ever since we met...I haven't been able to take you off my mind..." He continued, "And I treat you the way I do...because I don't know how to handle how I feel about you...I'm sorry..."

He bit his lip and shook his head, turning to walk away only to feel a hand grab his own. Alicia pulled him back and met his lips in a deep kiss, running her hands up his body to his hair and holding him close to her. Castiel was confused. She should be running in the other direction right now, not kissing him and holding him.

"Cas...you...you want me? You have feelings for me?"

"I do..." Castiel replied, "You're not mad...?"

"Castiel," Alicia began, the use of his full name making Castiel realise how serious she was being, "I've got feelings for you too. It's okay..."

Castiel raised an eyebrow. He didn't believe her for a moment but then she kissed him gently, leaving unable to do anything but hold her close to him and press his head to hers. This sweet, young girl somehow felt something for him, despite all he'd ever done to her.

"I want to be with you, Castiel..." She said, kissing his lips again, "Do you want to be with me?"

"Yes." Castiel whispered, the two leaning in for more gentle and sweet kisses.

"Y'know...I don't know if I want to stay for dinner..." Alicia said, rubbing Castiel's arms which gave him the hint she'd wanted to give him.

Castiel smiled a little and nodded.

"Neither do I..."

The two kissed again and slid their hands together, not feeling an ounce of fear or discomfort as they did, heading back through the hall before going to their room. Alicia opened the door and they headed inside, locking it and sharing another kiss with her boss. Oh dear God, this was her boss! And she was his secretary! But, was it so wrong? They wanted each other and neither of them were in committed relationships. It seemed Castiel was a little nervous. He hadn't been intimate with anyone for a year and that was a slightly tipsy mistake. But he wasn't prepared for the words that came out of Alicia's mouth next.

"Cas..." She breathed, tears filling her eyes.

What had he done? Had he hurt her? Frightened her?

"What is it, Alicia?" He asked, Alicia taking a deep breath.

She didn't know how he'd take hearing this, but she had to tell him the truth.

"I'm a virgin..."

-TBC-

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**Hope the update was worth the wait! **

**Thanks for reading! **

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